Ep. #628: How to Stop Procrastinating Now (According to Science)

2020-09-21

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Have you ever thought to yourself . . . “Do I really have to do this now?” “I can just do this tomorrow.” Or like me “Let me clean the entire kitchen first, before I record this podcast.” Procrastination is extremely common, and it’s likely impossible to find someone who never procrastinates. Even when it involves things we truly enjoy doing we still find ourselves procrastinating. (I love writing, but it still took me way too long to sit down and record this podcast.) In fact, research done on college st...

Have you ever thought to yourself . . .

“Do I really have to do this now?”

“I can just do this tomorrow.”

Or like me “Let me clean the entire kitchen first, before I record this podcast.”

Procrastination is extremely common, and it’s likely impossible to find someone who never procrastinates. Even when it involves things we truly enjoy doing we still find ourselves procrastinating. (I love writing, but it still took me way too long to sit down and record this podcast.)

In fact, research done on college students tells us that 50% procrastinate on academic tasks at least half the time.

And in the overall population, 20% are chronic procrastinators.

This isn’t a new phenomenon.

Even prior to Instagram’s pulling us into unconscious scrolling, procrastination existed.

In 800 B.C., the Greek poet Hesiod, cautioned against the dangers that come with “putting your work off till tomorrow and the day after.”

Not only does procrastination present issues for getting work done in a timely manner, but research done in the field of economics and psychology describes how procrastination negatively influences performance and well-being.

In this podcast, we dive a bit deeper into why, as humans, we so frequently procrastinate and where procrastination comes from.

Further, we will leverage the research to outline some strategies you can use to beat procrastination and be more productive, less anxiety-ridden, and happier with your workflow.

Let’s get started.

6:08 - What is procrastination?

14:02 - Why do we procrastinate?

18:55 - What are the three factors that account for procrastination?

21:19 - Manage your time to meet the deadlines for your goals

41:30 - Take bigger goals and break them down into smaller goals

42:47 - Minimize distractions

47:29 - Envision yourself enjoying the process

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Mentioned on The Show:

Legion VIP One-on-One Coaching: https://legionathletics.com/coaching/

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